Shedding mechanism



C. A. COSMAN SHEDDING MECHANISM Ndv. 25, 1941.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 5, 1940 Nov. 25, 1941. c. A. cosMAN SHEDDING MECHANISM Filed June 5, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR U/aus A. 'osman ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 25, 1941 r snsnnmo MECHANISM r z p Clans A. Cosman, Basel, Switzerland, assignor to Wonder Weave, Incorporated, Bridgeport,

Comm, a corporation of Connecticut Application '11.... 5, 1940, Serial N6. 338,848 r In Germany Augustg12, 11939 5 Claims. (01. 13979) V The present invention relates to weaving machines, and, more particularly, to the shedding mechanism for operating the heald or harness frames associated with and controlling the warps.

a. In prior art constructions, it has been customary to provide a single cam shaft which will carry all of the cams necessary to move the harness frames to provide the desired pattern in the fabric. .In cases of narrow fabrics, such as ribbons or the like, the cam shaft is extended for a considerable distance laterally of the fabric. In order to drive the harness frames, the operators therefor, which are actuated by the cams adjacent the distant end of the cam shaft, must be disposed at an angle to the cams.

This construction has several disadvantages inasmuch as'there is required an additional width for the machine to accommodate the cam shaft and objectionable lateral forces are introduced in the operating means because of the angularity; of the harness frame operators With'respect to edges of the cams adjacent the end of the shaft by which they are actuated.

These difl'lculties'have been avoided, according to the present invention, by providing a plurality of cam shafts disposed one above the other with the cams mounted thereon and driven from the main drive means in a manner in which the desired pattern can be readily obtained.

With the construction of the present invention, all of the cams required to produce 'a most complicated design can be disposed within the limits of the machine so that undue width is unnecessary, and also the cams will be disposed in the plane of movement of the operators driven thereby. By properly adjusting the gearing employed in the drive for the cam shafts and by properly adjustably positioning the cams on the shafts, the most complicated design can be readily obtained and variations in design can easily be made. 7 c

According to the present preferred form of the invention, the cam shafts are disposed one above the other. These shafts carry bushings which are driven through suitable gearing from the drive shaft of the loom. A plurality of cams are adjustably mounted on the bushings by suitable means. As illustrated, each cam is provided with one or more slots and can be positioned and keyed to the bushing in one or more positions, according to the number of slots therein, and thus produce variations in the shed as required. Then, too, according to the present invention,

the bushing'may be'split and each portion thereof driven at a different speed to further vary the operation of the shedding mechanism.

The motion produced by the cams is transmitted, by means of pivoted levers disposed above the cams and connected with the healds or harness frames, so as to actuate the harness frames to vary the position of the warp in forming the sheds therein during the weaving'operation.

Thus, it will be seen that I have provided an improved shedding mechanism which makes possible the formation of complicated patterns, while at the same time overcomes the disadvantages heretofore known in the art, inasmuch as, according to the present invention, the actuators are well within the limits of the machine and the force applied to the levers operating the har- Figure 1 showsa side elevational view, partly in section, ofa weaving machine.

Fig. 2 is alongitudinal sectional, view, taken along line 2-2 of Figure 1.,

Fig. 3 is a top plan View of the proportion of the machine, showing the harness and the re.-

lation of the actuating levers therefor.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view, taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2. The weaving machine shown in Figure l is a high-speed weaving machine embodying the invention disclosed and claimed in my copending application Serial No. 338,847 filed June 5, 1940. Briefly,.this machine includes a frame 10, having a takeup I l at its forward end to receive the Woven strip 12 as it passes from the tensioning and steadying means l3. The takeup H is driven by suitable gearing M from the main drive shaft 15 of the machine. An oscillating filling needle l6 carries a filling thread through the shed in the warp and returns in each operation of thesshed to form bound-in loops. A pair of electromagnets ll, l8 are disposed above and below a selvage thread, shuttle is, positioned at the side of the woven fabrioand operated so as to cause the selvagethread to intercept or interlock with the filling thread as it passes through the shed in the warp and returns. l v i The present invention relates to the means for quickly forming the desired shed in the Warp. As the warp threads 12' are fed from a suitable supply, not shown, they are led between a pair of brackets 20, having a plurality of grooves 2| on their inner faces for slidably receiving a plurality of healds or harness frames 22. The warp threads pass through the healds or harness frames and are guided and controlled thereby. As the healds or harness frames are moved in the grooves 2|, they form the sheds in the warp so that suitable designs will be obtained.

As has been noted in prior art constructions, a single cam shaft was utilized to carry all of the cams necessary to produce apattern. For all other than the most simple design this required that the cam shaft must project well beyond the lateral limits of the machine frame. With the cam shaft so positioned, it would require that the operators, which drive the healds or harness frames from the cams, extend in at an angle to the edge of the cams in order to connect with the healds or harness frames.

According to the present invention, these undesirable features have been eliminated inasmuch as I have provided a plurality of shafts 30, 3| mounted one above the other within the frame. It is to be understood that while I have disclosed two shafts, three or more may be employed as required.

As shown in Fig. 2, the upper shaft 30 extends between and is journaled in the side plates a, I01) and has rotatably mounted thereon a bushing 32. The bushing is provided with a keyway 33 on the outer surface thereof by which a gear 34 and a plurality of cams 35 are mounted thereon and secured for rotation therewith, the cams being spaced apart by suitable spacers 36 and properly located on the bushing by means of a long spacer 37 so that the actuators operated thereby can be properly positioned for movement in the plane of the cam to actuate the healds.

The lower cam shaft 3| also extends'between andis journaled in .the side frames Illa, Illb substantially directly below the upper cam shaft, as shown in Fig. 1. This shaft may also carry a single bushing, but, in the illustrated form of the invention, it has a pair of bushings 38, 39, rotatably mounted thereonand abutting one another intermediate the ends of the shaft.

The bushing 38 has a keyway'40 formed therein along the outer surface and has a gear 4| mounted adjacent the outer end thereof and a plurality of earns 42 positioned therealong and keyed thereto for rotation therewith.

The other bushing 39 has a keyway 43 formed therein along the outer surface thereof and has a gear 44 mounted adjacent the outer end and -a plurality of cams 45 carried thereby. The cams on both bushings are suitably spaced by spacers 46 so that they will be positioned below the spacers of the upper bushing to properly locate the operators with respect to the operators cooperating with the cams on the upper shaft as will be explained.

It will be seen by this construction that I have provided, in effect, three cam shafts or three independently rotatable cam-supporting means all contained within the machine frame. By properly locating the cams on the .bushings .and driving these various bushings at difierentspeeds with respect to one another, a large number of patterns can be obtained.

In order to drive the cams, according to the illustrated form of the invention, the gear 44 is driven from the main drive shaft of the loom by a gear 41,, as shown in Figure 1. Disposed on the other side of the cam shaft is a lower auxiloperation.

iary shaft 48 having secured thereto a gear 49 engaging the driven gear 44 and having a second gear 50 thereon meshing with the gear 4| on the other bushing.

As will be seen in Fig. 2, the gears 4|, 44 are of different diameters so that the two bushings 38, 39, mounted on the shaft 3|, will be rotated thereon relative to one another.

The lower auxiliary shaft has a sprocket 5| thereon which is connected by means of a chain '52 to drive a sprocket 53 secured on an upper auxiliary shaft 54 disposed adjacent the upper cam shaft. The shaft 54 has a gear 55 secured thereto for driving the gear 34 secured to the bushing 32 rotatably mounted on the upper shaft 30.

Thus, it will be seen that all three of the groups of cams can be driven from the main ments of the healds or harness frames can be obtained to provide the sheds for the desired patterns.

While the cams may be adjustably positioned in many ways on the shaft, in the illustrated form of the invention they are provided with a plurality of key-receiving slots 60 so that they can be keyed to the bushing in a plurality of positions with respect to one another and thus produce variations in the shed.

Inorder to transmit a motion produced by the variously positioned cams driven at the desired speeds to the harness frames to produce the proper sheds therein which will result in the desired pattern, the present invention mounts a plurality of levers 6| to the front of the frame to extend over and cooperate with the groups of cams 35 carried by the bushing 32. A similar set of levers 62 are pivoted at one end to the frame so as to extend over the cams 4-2, 45 carried by the bushings 38, 39.

Each of the operators or levers has its free :end secured to a heald and harness frame and each is provided with dependent arms '63 for and thus properly positioning the healds or harness frames throughout the entire weaving It will be noted, in Figure l and Fig. 3, that the levers 6| coacting with the cams on the upper shaft are connected to the healds in the forward partof the bracket 20, while the longer levers 62 project beyond and operate the healds at the back of the bracket. It will be further noted that the levers of each group alternate. This arrangement is brought about by the proper spacing of the cams on the bushing.

As is shown in Fig. 2, each of the levers 6|,

62 is positioned directly above its actuating cam so that the operating force is applied thereto in the plane of movement of the operator. Thus, any objectionable lateral forces between the cams and operators are eliminated.

It will be apparent, therefore, that the novel shedding mechanism permits the formation of many and various designs and .patterns in narrow fabrics without the inconveniences heretofore encountered.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of this invention and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

I claim:

1.'In a loom, shedding mechanism comprising a plurality of healds or harness frames; and means for operating said healds or harness frames comprising a plurality of cam shafts disposed one above another, gear means interconnecting said shafts and the drive means for the loom for driving said shafts in timed relation to one another, cams adjustably carried by the cam shafts, and operators disposed in groups one above another to cooperate with the cams on the cam shafts and movable in the plane of rotation of the cam for imparting movement to the healds or harness frames whereby a greater number of healds or harness frames can be operated for a given width loom.

2. In a narrow loom, shedding mechanism comprising a plurality of healds or harness frames; and means for operating said healds or harness frames comprising a plurality of shafts disposed one above another within the confines of the loom, cam means'including groups of cams carried by said shafts and driven in timed relation with one another and the loom, and operators disposed in groups one above another to cooperate with the cams of said groups and movable in the plane of rotation of the cams for imparting movement to the healds or harness frames, the cams in each group being angularly adjustable with respect to one another and the drive for each group being adjustable to obtain various relative movements between said groups.

3. In a loom, a plurality of harness frames; and means for operating the harness frames comprising a plurality of cam shafts mounted one above another within the frame of the loom and driven in timed relation with the operation of the loom, means for adjustably mounting a plurality of cams side by side on the cam shafts in predetermined angular relation with one another, and an operator for each harness frame cooperating with a cam on the cam shaft for imparting movement to the healds or harness frames, the operators cooperating with the cams on the lower shaft being located under the operators cooperating with the cams on the upper shaft whereby a greater number of harness frames can be operated for a given width of machine.

4. In a loom, a plurality of harness frames; and means for driving the harness frames to produce sheds inthe warp comprising a plurality of shafts disposed one above another and 'journaled within the sides of the loom frame, one or more bushings mounted on the shafts for rotation thereon, each bushing having a keyway therein and a gear and a plurality of cams keyed thereto in predetermined angular position, drive means for rotating the bushings, and means for transmitting the cam motion to the harness frame including a lever to cooperate with each of the cams for imparting movement to one of the harness frames, the levers cooperating with the cams on the lower shaft being located under the levers cooperating with the cams on the upper shaft whereby a greater number of harness frames can be operated for a given width of machine.

5. In a loom having a frame, a plurality of harness frames slidably mounted in the loom frame; and means for driving the harness frames to produce sheds in the warp comprising a plurality of shafts journaled within the sides of the loom frame so as to be positioned one above another, one or more bushings mounted on the shafts for rotation thereon, a gear and a plurality of cams secured to each bushing for rotation therewith, means for rotating the bushings, and means for imparting movement to the harness frames including a plurality of levers, each having one end connected to the harness frame and the other end pivoted to theloom frame adjacent the cam with the midportion of the lever extending over and cooperating with one of the cams carried by the bushings to be moved thereby, whereby two groups of operators are provided one above another, the levers of the lower group extending beyond the levers of the upper group and operating the rearmost harness frames. 

